St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1887-04-07

tious believed that he had sold himself
to the devil and practiced the "Black
Art" At anyrate there was an air of
mystery about the old man and an un-
sociability which repealed all approach
es and even the inquisitive small boy
had wholesome fear of "Wizard Mi
ers,n as they called him, and gave a
wide berth to his mysterious cabin.
Directly under the hill below the
Walker farm on the spot now occupied
by the house of a Mr.. Graham, there
was hotel known in those days and
for many years after as the "Red
House," built and occupied at that
time by one David Elkins son of
that Dea. David Elkins, one of the
first settlers of Peacham, who was cap
tured by the Indians during the RevO-
lutionary war and sent a prisoner with
Ethan Allen and others to England.
Close by the hotel was distillery for
the manufacture of potato whiskey.
About this hotel and distillery there
happened to be gathered one night in
the fall of the year several of the lead
ing citizens of Peacham, Simeon Walk
err, Captain Bailey, Joel Blanchard,
Jonathan Elkins and others. While
these WORTHLESS were drinking potato
whiskey-there were no prohibition
lists i'm Peacham at that time-and dis
cussing the question of the orthodoxy
of Mr.. Wooster, then gravely doubted
by the Scotch Presbyterians of Barnet,
there came up violent thunder show
er and almost instantly after fearful
clap of thunder, the whole hill above
the tavern was in blaze of light. The
party were almost stupefied by the
electric shock but Captain Bailey af-
terward made oath that Immediately
following that clap of thunder, as he
raised his face to drain mug of pOta
to whiskey, he saw a strange, threat
ening and uncOuth figure flying
through the air holding blazing
brand in his hand. Almost as quick
as fash of lightning this marvellous
apparitiOn seemed to fash across the
sky from the direction of the Walker
farm in sOuthwesterly course, and
then to disappear with a terrible hiss
in the "Great Bog" Immediately the
top of the hill adjoining the bog which
from that night has been called Devil
Hill, was wrapt in flames. The trees
and the very soil were burnt off and
to this day the bare granite lodges and
bOulders there show clear indications
of having been subjected to tremen-
dous heat. When Walker returned
home after the shower he found the
cabin of Miers entirely consumed. Mi
ers was never heard of again; he
probably persisted in the flames. 1t
was reported afterwards that he often
made nightly trips to Devil hill and
believed that he had discovered sill
yer mine there often carrying pieces
of the supposed ore to his cabin to be
tested-a report cOrrObOrated by the
the fact that there were found in the
ashes of his cabin fragments of cruel
bles aud other materials used in smelt-
ing processes.
Such is the substance of the story
which so struck my neutrality-suspicious.
that the wanderings and vicissitudes
of half century have not effaced it
from my mind story which may ex-
plain why the staid and pious people
of Peacham gave a disreputable name
to an eminence which commands one
of the noblest prospects in the state-a
story which for want of better name
l call The Legend of Devil Hill.
MICHIGAN.